Cousin's Outing

 

Since Amy, Jeff and Jen were in town for the baby shower, we were able to spend some cousin time together. We started off bowling. We divided into teams and had a friendly competition followed by lunch, then dessert. I always enjoy cousin time even if I am on the non winning team.  

 

Team Ahhh: Heidi, Amy, Hailey and Heather

Team J/K: Jen, Kara, Julie and Jeff

Amy's Baby Shower

My cousin Amy and her husband Jeff are expecting their first child at the end of August. We celebrated little Nugget this past weekend. The brunch was delicious and we had fun with the games. Just a few tears were shed :P Nugget will be adorable in the baby wear and mom and dad will be well equipped when she arrives. Congrats Mommy and Daddy Collins!

 

 

Mommy to be

 

Signing the guest book

 

"Pokey, Pokey, Pokey!!"

 

We can't wait to meet her!

Grandpa John's Birthday

 

Grandpa John and his grandsons at his birthday party.

Mother's Day

We attended the annual Race for the Cure Twin Cities at the Mall of America. It was 40 degrees and windy so the 4 of us and my grandma decided to walk inside. We got a coffee and sat in the food court for a bit then met the others at the finish line. I don't have the group photos yet but will try to add those later. After the walk we went to the Blooms for lunch. After lunch the kids and I met Julie at her brother's for a celebration of Zach's confirmation. It was a busy day! The best gifts the kids gave me that weekend: Dru cleaned her room all by herself and Leo dressed himself! What a treat!

 

A coffee, hot chocolate and smoothie break

Dru walks in celebration of Aunt Yvonne

 

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My mom and sister

 

My mom with her sisters and mother

Grandma Lois and Dru



Me and my kids

Leo's Birthday Party

Leo turned 4 this month and he had his birthday party this past Saturday. He chose a Nemo chocolate cake. We had lots of family (including surprise guest, Mariah) over for dinner to celebrate. Leo loves his birthday parties and having everyone to our house. Thank you to those who joined us and gave him the fun presents. It was a fun time!

 

Finding Nemo & Squirt cake

Kid table

Ready to blow out the candles

Opening presents

Leo Turns Four!

I think Leo had a pretty spectacular birthday. Luckily it was my day off so we spent the day doing some pretty fun things. We started off with playing outside, then lunch on the deck, then playing at a park. After Julie got home we went to the MOA and visited the Sea Life aquarium. Leo is a big fan of sharks so he was thrilled. He nearly sprinted through the whole thing. He even skipped his nap to maximize his fun. There definitely wasn't any trouble getting him to sleep that night.

 

Enjoying the sunshine

Touching a starfish

Jellyfish tanks, Mommy's favorite

 

Leo and the lion fish

In the tunnel

 (I didn't realize they were holding hands until I was posting this, love!)

Frog aquariums

 

Finally star ice cream for dessert on the front steps!

What a fantastic day!

Festival of Nations

After a few cancelled Saturday plans we decided that was a sign we should stay home, but after church on Sunday we ventured out to the Festival of Nations. It was held at RiverCentre in St. Paul. The kids and I went with Grandma Sue and Aunt Yvonne. The kids had a great time getting stamps in their passports and playing with the toys from all the different countries.

Here are a few the the experiences we had.

 

Egyptian dancers, they would normally have real lit candles

We watched about 6 groups from all over the world dance.

 

We met the middle dancer while we were walking in

 

At the Guatemala booth

 

They called these fairy masks but Dru didn't agree

 

This Indonesian "top" made noise as it spun

 

This Dutch game looks more like a drinking game (trying to get nail into bottle)

 

Dru's favorite was being able to tour this Ger from Mongolia

 

Leo said his favorite was watching the dancers

 but he spent a long time playing with these Taiwanese toys

Julie's Birthday

Another year has come and gone since our trip to Orlando. We were in Florida last year as we celebrated Julie's 50th and this year we were in Las Vegas (without the kids, of course). We were able to celebrate with family this past Saturday. After dinner Leo took this photo of her!

 

Happy birthday, Julie!

Cousins Weekend in Las Vegas

Here are just a few photos from our annual Las Vegas trip with the cousins. This year there were 6 of us. Amy & Jeff, Jen, Chris, Julie and myself. We stayed at the South Point Hotel and Casino again. We really enjoy how easy it is to get around the city from there. (Shhhh, don't tell anyone) We didn't try any new food this year but still ate well and drank a lot (sorry Amy) and had lots of fun. The weather was perfect at 85-90 degrees and sunny. Julie celebrated her birthday while we were there and was lucky enough to win $600 that day.

 

 

Tequila shots after lunch

 

Our driver and the pregnant one :)

 

Mermaid at the Silverton Casino

 

Bingo back at South Point

 

Jeff & Jen's choice: The Neon Boneyard Park

 

Before the NBP tour

 

Photo op on the tour

 

Sign from the Stardust Casino that was demolished in 2007

 

The Collins baby's nickname is Nugget so we needed to stop at the world's largest gold nugget located at the Golden Nugget Casino downtown.

 

We competed at the Pinball Hall of Fame where Jeff got the most points and won a free drink!

 

The Pinball Hall of Fame is a warehouse full of refurbished pinball machines you can acutally play.

 

Yes, we wore our matching cousin shirts (minus Chris since he's a party pooper)

Leo Can Pedal!!!

 

Leo finally realized that pedalling was possible and efficient. Though he was frustrated here, by the end of the bike ride he was a pro!!

Grandma and Leo

 

We went to Culver's with Gma Sue, Gpa John and Great Gma Lois. The kids loved watching the cars go by from the drive thru. You'd think we never take them anywhere. Leo and Gma Sue wore coordinating outfits so we needed to capture them together. So cute :)

Cousins Bike Ride

 

Leo, Dru and Reed taking a break

 

The hazards of bike riding after a big snowfall

 

After the ride on Gpa's truck